gate to this beautiful building. the space we empty will be backed up by the fbi. through the american recovery and reinvestment act, we are creating jobs and stimulating the local economy. this project will create and save more than 1300 jobs. there is also a number of contractors to advocate 46% of the contract in dollars to women who are disadvantaged and small businesses. i should take a moment to recognize the gsa team which got this project moving. the deputy regional commissioner, tricia chang-lin.

[applause] director of design and contruction, cathy lee. [applause] moncey eggleham. mat gier. and the san francisco service dorector jim caen. [applause] and all of the other team membes. none of these projects are possible without our many contractors. the team of hks and the multiple consultants, the commission ferm, space climbers -- the

artists at the cliff garden stidios. for -- studios. for all of those, a round of applaus. i could talk about how happy gsa is to gettng to this building. i could nnot be happier to introduce this man. he is born and raised in his city. mayor gavin newsom is here with us as we breathe life into the civic center. hsi strong support -- his strong support is what this project

needed. >> i an thankful to obama. and our speaker, nancy pelosi. to have the courage to step up and step in. and provide us the resources. this will get us over the hump. we will put people to work. this is a legacy of these times, but contributions, and the contributions that will provide the resources to put people to work on this project and projects throughout the city and county of san francisco. this is simply something that would not have been done if it was not for her leadership,

barbara boxer's leadership. a round of applause for the political courage in washington. a final point. i know you think, what can be done to improve the area? [laughter] this is a big part of this. i will take credit for this. i need it. we have struggled. a great plaza. designed s one in 1989 we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the united nations, with people coming from all over the world including the new secretary-general. we wanted to turn on the found. you do not want to know why we

were shutting this town. you may want to lean over to ask a friend if you do not know what i mean. we began to build on this. we put together a new partnership to do whatever -- what every mayor has promised to do. i actually believe this. we're getting closer to the tipping point and in 2013 and 2014, we will have reached this place and beyond. just down the road we will do a demonstration, and the people out there and in the rainfall, they have been out there as a part of the way to revitalize this, and we will be here for a couple of days to do this

installation in the area. we have new retail establishments, anchoring the future of the mid market. this was approved by our friends in the board of supervisors. and we have a small-business loan program, that we finally got off the ground. one of these recipients was pearl ferguson, one of the great burger joints. 16 would be employed. blix arts is here. you have these organizations that are committed to this area. arts are going to revitalize this area, as it was the case in

manhattan, as it was the case in those very difficult parts. of new york. there is one of four in the country. this became a national model. and i sincerely believe that we are here, where things are going to take shape. and people will learn more about what all of you are doing, because this is critical to get 900 of you, coming in and out of this building, completely changing the dynamic. and i am convinced that this will happen. i believe that you have those restaurants opening up, and retailers coming back into the area. this is one of the unfinished efforts of that goes backs and those with lanterns will pass by, and the legend has been

passed by and i do not remember the order that they were in. brown, myself, mayor daily or -- daly or whoever is next. you are very interesting. i just want to remember this moment. this is a great moment in the revitalization of the city, in the heart of the city, with this 60 blocks that surround us. this is where the values are represented and the challenges are quite evident and visible. i am incredibly enthusiastic. congratulations on the day. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much. on behalf of gsa, a coin for the

recovery act. you can't spend it, but you can have it. >> ladies and gentlemen. [laughter] [applause] >> i knew that. [laughter] >> that is a hard one to follow. we also have other people with us. i introduced dan, the speaker- director for pelosi for five years. her support for the recovery act has made it possible for gsa to undertake this project. with her assistants, this will pay huge dividends for many generations to come. please welcome dan bernal.

>> thank you. thank you, jeff and mayor newsom. this is the only $122 million coin in the country. in washington they have just extended the middle class tax cuts with the voting that was done. they worked hard for the recovery act, but none of this was congressionally directed. they understood what this would do for the country, what this would do for the economy in the bay area to create green jobs, and this would set an example for the sustainable architecture. i would like to thank our

friends with the architectural firm as well. she could not be here but ask me to read a few words to you. thank you for inviting me to join you at the construction kickoff ceremony for the renovation of the u.s. general services regional headquarters, the beautiful and historic 50 united nations plaza building. the american recovery and reinvestment act is making a very historic investment to upgrade and modernize federal buildings and make them energy- efficient, including $122 million for the united nations plaza building. this will save with pentecost's -- and this will create good- paying jobs in the green building industry. the decision is good news for san francisco, for the civic

center area, and our economy. renovating the building and making it more accessible will create and save jobs while using the facility as a gsa regional headquarters to improve the lives of those living and working in the regional civic headquarters area. it is not only significant for san francisco's economy but a vital part of our city's historical district. the architect also designed city hall, the opera house, and the veterans building, all of which give our city its unique character and contribute to its beauty. i would like to thank all those who made the renovation possible and to thank the acting regional administrator for his leadership in economically, sustainably, and efficiently managing our regional aspects. we look forward to the day with the richest -- when the registration takes up residence

in the building. warm regards, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house. thank you. [applause] >> please thank speaker pelosi, and we also happen to have another recovery act coin. >> is it $61 million? >> it is going to get cheaper as the day goes on, i'm sad to say. [laughter] >> as i said a moment ago, congress is in session. the house of representatives and senate are tackling major issues as we speak. barbara boxer is unable to be with us, but her field representative is standing in. we are grateful that the senator is also a stalwart supporter gsa and the greening of the government. we are pleased you could be with us today. ladies and gentlemen, please

welcome meghan miller. [applause] >> thank you, everyone. it is a pleasure to be here and exciting to think about this area of our city in the future. in the field representative for san francisco in california, and my boss is in d.c. working her hardest as we speak, so on her behalf, i was asked to present the following from her to you. "please accept my warmest greetings as you celebrate the official groundbreaking for the upgrade of san francisco's landmark plaza building. thanks to $100 million secured through the american recovery and reinvestment act, this historic building will be renovated and utilize by gsa. the 350,000 square foot building will receive much-needed improvements, including new and energy efficient electrical, heating, and plumbing systems and a seismic upgrade. buildings will be replaced, and the building will be brought up beada standards -- brought up to ada standards.

i commend the city of san francisco and gsa for their commitment to this important project. the building, which was designated a historic landmark in 1987, is a crucial component of san francisco's renowned civic center. the project will not only restore sanford's as good as a civic center, but will create or save more than 1000 jobs throughout the construction and renovation process. i would like to issue welcome to the guests here today and i can send my best wishes as you mark this important and historic milestone. i look forward to 2014 when we will celebrate the completed renovation of this historic building. thanks very much. sincerely, barbara boxer." [applause] >> and in keeping with the fine tradition of devalued coins.

>> thanks very much. >> thanks again, and please tell the senator thank you. the project is about thinking outside of the box and turning the old traditional office environment into something that works for our time. dan was telling me earlier he actually worked in the building and wanted to see the space that he had formerly occupied. the idea's going into the design of the building are incredible. it is going to be first-class state of the our office space. new ways of being productive require new workspaces that facilitate and enhance the different ways that we work. mark donohue leads the group of architects who are doing just that for the project. hks architects are taking this 80-year-old federal office building and designing it to become modern, open offices with an environment that will meet the needs of gsa into the 21st

century. i find it exciting. i'm anxious for all the we have talked about to finally be constructed in this facility, so please welcome mark donohue. [applause] that clearly saved the best for last. [laughter] it much of what i say sounds familiar, it is just because jeff's speech writers got to my speech writers before i could. my colleagues and his regrets. he is on his way. his flight was delayed in frankfurt. he either said, "i'm stuck here" or "eight tiny reindeer." i'm not sure which it was. [laughter] i would like to gsa for the opportunity to work on this magnificent project. let's see, modern workplace, lead goals -- [laughter] all right, just going to have to

go for it. for many of us on the engineering and design team, the recovery act has really been a bridge from a very terrible 2009 across an economic chasm, and without it, many of us would not be here today. we are thankful to congress, to our congressional representatives and to all the politicians who have been involved up to the president. but the building is also bridging the future. this is a building whose fate was not determined. 75 years old, a lot of seismic problems. one more earthquake and she is gone, and we have an opportunity to carry it another 75 years into the future. this is an opportunity to show what can be done in an historic building. how can you take the federal building stock and convert it and reposition it so that as we advance to the 21st century, we can continue to use these buildings and take advantage of the embodied energy, pay respect to the effort and the care that went into these buildings.

it is really an example of showing that the old is the new green, and we are very happy to be involved. the amazing thing about a building like this is that it was created before the advent of air conditioning, so it is really true to the climate. what we had to come in and do was as little as possible, but since i do not pay you to do that, we did accomplish a few things. [laughter] the challenge was for the team to preserve what is already a beautiful asset. it is graced with ample daylight and natural ventilation, and we did improve upon it, and it is important to recognize that there is a lot of people sitting out there that i can see that have been working on this project for a long time to try to bring this mission to fruition, and you should be congratulated for that effort. i have a couple of facts that are really interesting. even though the building did not use much energy to begin with, it will now use 30% less than even that very low standard. the user controlled

environments are four winners -- i think, jeff, you covered that very well -- but also 8% reduction in the use of water, which will be critical as we go forward. we are already in the third year of a drought, and that is a very important aspect to the building. it is a flexible dynamic work place. the way people work now is different than the way they work in 1936, and it is going to change again very soon. as i mentioned, when the "world of warcraft" generation comes to work, they will not want the same kinds of offices that we do. there's not enough time for me to give credit where credit is due. i see a lot of people who have been working very hard to get this building position to begin construction, but today marks the beginning of the next stage. we will still need follow- through to make sure that what we have collectively plan

together is executed, and i look forward to seeing all of you when the work has been completed, and we can be launched this magnificent building into the future. thanks very much. [applause] >> thank you, and of course, what we have for you is the split four-way coin. you will be able to buy just what you paid for. [laughter] i bet many of you are asking yourselves when this whole shovel thing happened and why somebody is buried right in front of jeff, and some of you may have been asking yourselves -- there is five of us and 6 shovels. that will not be the emergency, i promise. we will come up now for basically the shovel event, but i would like to ask the president and ceo of hathaway to

join us as we do the shovel event, so if we could all step forward. [applause] >> [inaudible] [laughter] one more? 1, t w a, 3 -- 1, 2, 3. [applause] thank you all very much.